[SEL] Nat Rally

[Arnie Fero]

Hi Adam,

Given the sorts of numbers that Reg has posted, I'm pretty stunned about
the Aussie National Rally.

I think Portland may serve as the defacto National Rally here in the US.
I think it holds fair claim to being the biggest rally in the world.  This
year the event runs from August 25-29.  Typical registered exhibits are
on the order of 2,500 stationary engines and 600 1955 and older tractors.
>From my observations there are probably that many engines not registered
/ for sale.

Exhibitors & families are free.  The admission fee for the general public
is on the order of $5.  Camping on grassy sites with electric power and a
shower house with toilets is $5 for the entire show for exhibitors.
Non-exhibitors pay $10 per day for the camping.  Food on the
grounds is abundent, good, and cheap; generally done by service
organizations as a fund raiser.  Free gasoline is provided to exhibitors
for their exhibit engines.

Rally plaques are free to exhibitors.  Granted they are silkscreened sheet
aluminum not the massive cast brass varity given in other parts of the
world, but they suffice.

I sincerely hope that you will pass contact info along to the National
Rally Committee at the first opportunity.
http://www.adamswells.com/%7Etristate/tractorshow.htm

The National folks are SERIOUSLY out of touch with the world-wide engine
rally mainstream and should REALLY gather some of the "best practices"
from organizers like the folks at Portland who are getting ready for
their 39th annual "National Rally."

See ya,  Arnie

Arnie Fero
Pittsburgh, PA USA
fero_ah at city-net.com

PS - Portland also manages heaving crowds of spectators around running
engines and exhibits with a single strand of rope between 'em and no
carnage.  But that's another discussion....  8-))

On Wed, 21 Jul 2004, Adam Cottrill wrote:

> I felt I had to reply to this one, I was at a meeting of the (NHMA)
> National Rally committee last Thursday in South Aus and it seems after
> some internal difficulties you most likely know about they are getting
> things back on track.
>
> I’m not sure if you realise how much an event of this size costs to put
> on? You just don’t wake up one morning and decide I’m going to hold a
> national rally. A good example of this is the portable toilets costing
> $17,000 for the event. In stead of complaining about that costs supply a
> solution of how a cost such as this can be paid for or eliminated from
> the rally... should one bring there own toilet paper?